Mifepristone tablets are displayed at a family planning clinic in 2023 in Rockville, Md. Research shows medication abortion is safe.

In the United States, patients can receive Ozempic, antibiotics, antidepressants and erectile dysfunction medication without ever seeing a clinician in person. But abortion pills are treated as uniquely dangerous. 

After the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in 2022, several states have advanced legislation to try to restrict access to medication abortion, the clinical term used for drugs that terminate a pregnancy, on the spurious grounds that such medications are not safe.  

Medication abortion is one of the most studied medical interventions in modern history. The World Health Organization classifies mifepristone and misoprostol as essential medicines and has affirmed their safety and effectiveness. Complication rates from medication abortion are lower than those associated with many widely used drugs, including Tylenol, Viagra and penicillin. Mifepristone and misoprostol are also used safely for other medical needs, including miscarriage management and postpartum hemorrhage. 

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For years, leading medical organizations and women’s health advocates have pointed to this evidence. I have watched highly respected physicians testify before lawmakers that providing medication abortion through telehealth is safe, citing decades of data.

“The safety and effectiveness of mifepristone and misoprostol is not a matter of opinion or debate; it is the clear consensus of the evidence-based medical community, both here in the United States and globally,” Dr.........

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